Music to Our Ears
Brooke Evers is the Maryland Symphony Orchestra’s new director of education.
Maryland symphony expands youth opportunities
The Maryland Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is hitting a high note with the launch of the full-time Maryland Symphony Youth Orchestra (MSYO), showing its deepening commitment to arts education across the region.
MSYO is an audition-based ensemble for students in grades 9 to 12 from across Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Designed to inspire and nurture musical excellence, the MSO provides rigorous orchestral training, mentorship from professional musicians, and the opportunity to perform in large venues.
Guiding the next phase of the MSO’s educational mission is Brooke Evers, the organization’s first full-time director of education. Evers brings more than two decades of teaching and arts leadership experience, including roles in West Virginia and Maryland public schools, a faculty lecturer position at Shepherd University, and an early career rooted in international arts education as a Fulbright Scholar in Austria.
“As a lifelong musician myself, there is a comfort to being around people who understand and appreciate the tremendous value of classical music in our community and who share my passion for the art form,” Evers says. “To be amongst such high-level professionals and working for an organization that is so committed to promoting music education is truly an honor.”
The educational programming by the MSO is extensive and impressive, reaching a broad range of ages and offering a variety of opportunities for the community.
“Music education is severely undervalued in our society,” Evers says. “Study after study shows the overwhelming benefits of music education—from brain functionality to graduation rates to Alzheimer’s prevention and anxiety reduction and increased empathy.
“I have lived and witnessed these benefits for most of my life as a musician and educator, watching a student develop interhemispheric brain communication as they learn to interpret symbols in two different clefs while getting all 10 fingers of both hands.”
Evers will oversee the MSYO and all MSO educational programming, applying her signature approach to mentorship, curriculum development, and student-centered experiences. Her award-winning teaching has been praised by students as “inspirational, encouraging, and one of the biggest influences” on their musical journeys.
“[Evers’] background blends deep instructional expertise with a passion for accessible, high-impact arts programming,” says MSO executive director Kim Bowen. “Her vision aligns beautifully with the MSO’s mission to empower the next generation through creativity and discipline.”
Where Music Meets Art
To celebrate the new MSYO and the symphony’s 2025-26 concert lineup, the MSO and Washington County Museum of Fine Arts are calling on young visual artists to participate in the Bravo! Program Cover Art Contest. The contest is open to middle and high school students from Washington, Frederick, Jefferson, Berkeley, and Franklin counties.
Participants can create original artworks inspired by the MSO’s upcoming concert themes: five classics concerts, a pops performance, and the beloved Home for the Holidays show. Submissions can include painting, drawing, digital illustration, or photography, accompanied by a brief artist statement connecting the visual concept to a specific musical piece.
Winning artwork will be featured on the cover of the MSO’s Bravo! concert program, displayed in the Maryland Theatre’s lobby during concert weekends, and exhibited at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. For entry details see www.marylandsymphony.org.